Neil Hopcroft

A digital misfit

What kind of person reads “Neurolinguistic Programming for Dummies” on the train?

In unrelated news, I’m feeling a bit stupid today. I managed to scrape the side of my car on the fencepost at the back of my flat last night. The parking area is a bit on the small side and there are now three cars regularly left in the area. Technically I have a garage but its still full of my landlords things so I just park my car as out the way as I can get it. But last night it was a bit tight up there and it was very dark when I got back (so much for light pollution, eh?).

I’ve not had a chance to look at it in daylight to see how bad it is, I suspect its not pretty but I’m hoping that its not structural – I think I misjudged the corner by about 1cm, but that can leave the paintwork in quite a mess if its the wrong 1cm. As long as its all basically functional I’m not going to bother fixing it – the car is going to be replaced at some point soon anyway, so in some ways its good to get these things out the way with a car thats not so precious.

So, anyone got any suggestions for ways to make the corner of the fence less dangerous to the sides of cars? One obvious one is to arrive in daylight when I can see what is going on. But thats not always practical. So I was considering trying to find a bell, a bracket and a piece of string, such that if you got too close the string would pull the bell and ring without damaging the car. But I’m not quite sure how to rig it, or where to buy a bell.


Categories: Memories.

/ 14 Comments

14 comments

  2. orddu

    I bought “NLP for Dummies” for and he’s read it on holiday and I’ve read it in a school staff room and in a corridor and a cafe. And I haven’t been on a train for ages, otherwise I might’ve read it there too.

    So, apparently, THIS kind of person :-)

    And it’s a good book actually.

    Reply
      • orddu

        Used properly, NLP can be very powerful indeed.

        Used for evil, it can also be very powerful indeed. But I’ve never done that, and I’ll fight anyone who says different ;-)

        Reply
        • neilh

          Yes, its got some nice ideas, but its too close (in my head) to the Landmark Forum, where everything goes cult-ish without anyone involved noticing.

          Reply
          • orddu

            That’s just what they want you to think ;-)

            (in all seriousness) you might try reading “NLP for Dummies” then. Great introduction to it, without any cultishness whatsoever.

  3. orddu

    Oh and as for the fence post, get some of the tape which absorbs light in the day and glows at night, and wrap it round in a spiral. Or you can buy glow-in-the-dark paint in B&Q, paint it with that (about 5 coats) then varnish it with clear varnish. That’s what I’d do.

    Reply
    • neilh

      An interesting idea – but I think it’ll lose its light by the time I get back most of the time, it only keeps it for while doesn’t it?

      Reply
      • orddu

        Yes, but quite a while.

        OR, you could get a set of those solar-powered garden lamp things and fix them to it. They keep alight for ages and ages.

        Reply

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